May public school facilities be used by outside community groups during non-school hours?
Generally speaking, yes. Schools are not required to open their facilities to any community group, but when they do, all groups-including those with a religious viewpoint-must be treated the same. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled unanimously that schools may not discriminate on the basis of religious viewpoint when making their facilities available to community groups during non-school hours. Schools may, of course, impose reasonable, content-neutral restrictions on the use of their facilities. For example, schools may decide when meetings may be held, how long they may last, whether they may continue during weeks or months when school is not in session, what maintenance fee must be paid, and what insurance might be required. Some content-based restrictions may also be allowed. For example, schools may probably exclude for-profit, commercial businesses even though community nonprofits are allowed to use school facilities after hours. They may also limit the use of the facilities to suc
